I Hijacked the Timeline (IHT)

Although guilt gnawed at him, Feng Qi steeled himself and ruthlessly tossed the bewildered Suction Cup toward Little Black.

"This grudge... I'll avenge it next time," he muttered.

Suction Cup, still asleep, opened her eyes mid-air as she detached from his body, hurtling directly at Little Black. The black mist enveloping Little Black instantly coiled around Suction Cup in an aggressive assault.

But Suction Cup's once gray-white eyes suddenly shimmered with starlight. With a sudden pivot, she unleashed a fierce punch into Little Black's form.

Under the impact, Little Black's body twisted and contorted before the punch penetrated the black mist and crashed heavily into the metal ground. A dent two meters in diameter appeared with an accompanying tremor.

However, the strike didn't harm Little Black. The portion of its body that had been struck healed almost instantly, its form returning to its unassailable state.

The battle erupted in full force.

Meanwhile, Feng Qi sat down and resumed browsing the database.

This visit to the Dream Realm still allowed him one unused access to cultivation techniques, and he wasn't about to let that go to waste. After completing the second review of the Basic Cultivation Research Methodologies video, he navigated to the cultivation technique repository.

After some deliberation, he chose a two-star spiritual cultivation technique: Soul Reaper.

This technique was far more extreme in its pursuit of mental strength than Heaven and Earth Meditation. Once mastered, spiritual energy could extend alongside mental power to disrupt an opponent's consciousness or even briefly control them.

His preference for two-star techniques over three-star wasn't due to a lack of ambition but practicality. Three-star techniques were significantly more complex. With his limited time in the Dream Realm, two-star techniques were more feasible for effective study.

However, the constant ground tremors and the frequent echoes of explosions made concentrating almost impossible. Frustrated, Feng Qi couldn't help but yell:

"Can you shut up already?!"

"Do you really think anyone cares about your opinion? Get a grip." the narrator retorted sarcastically.

Feng Qi glanced toward the noise and saw that Little Black and Suction Cup had smashed through another metal door during their fight. Inside the room, their battle raged on, with chunks of debris crashing down and quickly burying their figures.

Yet, the commotion didn't cease. Muffled sounds of intense fighting emanated from behind the rubble.

Moments later, the pile of debris exploded outward, revealing Little Black and Suction Cup still locked in combat. Suction Cup was now entangled in dense black mist, struggling mightily. Each powerful strike she landed on Little Black rattled the ground, but they left Little Black completely unfazed.

"Come on, Suction Cup! Beat him to a pulp!" Feng Qi cheered from a distance.

With his piece said, he turned back to his cultivation studies.

The constant chaos around him had severely impacted his efficiency, but he refused to give up. Forcing himself to focus, he continued memorizing the details of the technique.

As time passed, he began to adapt to the relentless noise and fully immersed himself in his studies.

After finishing his first viewing of the Soul Reaper video, he turned to check on the battle. Suction Cup was still tirelessly pummeling Little Black. Though Little Black's black mist repeatedly tried to ensnare her, she used her incredible strength to break free each time.

Observing the fight, Feng Qi noticed something peculiar—black mist occasionally fell off Little Black's body, landing on the ground and sparking faint electric arcs.

Curiosity about the substance swirled in his mind, but he dared not approach to investigate.

It wasn't fear holding him back. His priority remained learning.

Opening the Soul Reaper tutorial once more, he started his second viewing.

Fully engrossed in studying, Feng Qi tuned out the chaos around him. He meticulously noted down key points and replayed sections of the video when he encountered complicated concepts, ensuring he fully understood the instructor's explanations.

His resolve to study amidst the chaos was unshakable.

This time, while memorizing the cultivation technique, Feng Qi noticed a subtle improvement in his memory.

He speculated it might be tied to his body's progression, a result of practice, or possibly just an illusion.

By the time he finished watching the video for the second time, quite a while had passed. Turning to check on Suction Cup and Little Black, he found their battle still raging. The two figures remained entangled, seemingly locked in a stalemate.

Not directly affected by the chaos, Feng Qi returned to the database. With the key details of the Soul Reaper cultivation technique already committed to memory, he moved on to more videos related to cultivation research methodologies.

Engrossed in his studies, Feng Qi found himself increasingly fascinated by the material.

As the instructor in the video delved into a critical point, Suction Cup and Little Black's forms streaked past him. Moments later, a loud crash echoed as the control panel's massive screen shattered, revealing a mess of crossed wires and sparking arcs of electricity.

Feng Qi: …

The video feed was gone, but thankfully the audio remained. Resigned, he settled for listening to the rest of the course.

Without the accompanying visuals, however, it felt like a crucial part of the learning experience was missing. Yet, unwilling to waste precious time, Feng Qi pushed forward.

Glancing occasionally at the ongoing fight, he resumed listening to the instructor's voice.

Suddenly, he sprang to his feet and instinctively dove backward. Little Black and Suction Cup had crashed into the control console with an earth-shattering impact, sending a plume of black smoke into the air. The instructor's voice turned choppy before cutting off completely.

"Damn it!" Feng Qi cursed, unable to hold back his frustration.

Looking at Suction Cup and Little Black locked in combat once more, he sighed deeply. "Fine, you fight; I'm leaving!"

He cast one last glance at the brawling pair before decisively turning toward the metal corridor.

With the database destroyed, there was no point in staying. As he walked into the corridor, he glanced back again and noticed Suction Cup's movements slowing. She seemed fatigued.

Realizing the fight was nearing its conclusion, a pang of guilt struck Feng Qi.

Still, he forged ahead without hesitation, stepping into the metal passageway that led back to the surface.

Once outside the underground shelter, frustration boiled over. To vent his emotions, Feng Qi went on a rampage, beating any undead or Death Worm he encountered along the way.

With each battle, his body absorbed energy, transforming further. He could feel his strength and muscle resilience improving.

Determined to make the most of Suction Cup holding off Little Black, Feng Qi resolved to use this time to enhance his own abilities.

And to grow stronger, he needed to hunt.

While he couldn't yet face the more formidable domain creatures, he had no trouble dealing with undead and Death Worms—field creatures derived from the domain.

After dispatching several dozen Death Worms, his "Resilience" prefix upgraded to LV3.

The transformation in his body was palpable. His muscles felt less rigid and far more elastic during stretches.

The sensation of growing stronger was intoxicating.

As he planned his next move eastward, the narrator's voice echoed in his mind:

"Three hundred miles away, your longing drifts like the wind. Farewell!"

Feng Qi turned to see Little Black rapidly closing in from the distance.

Realizing his impending death, he smirked faintly.

"I'll go buy some oranges. Narrator, wait for me to return."

"Get lost!"